Mr. Weiss

1. Mr. Weiss History of China Time Magazine Cover – Jan. 22, 2007 China – Dawn of a New Dynasty

2. Mr. Weiss History of China Time Magazine 1/22/07

3. Mr. Weiss History of China • The Origins of Chinese Civilization: c. 2200 - 221 BC • Xia: c. 2200 - c. 1750 BC • Shang: c. 1750 - c. 1040 BC • Western Zhou: c. 1100 - 771 BC • Eastern Zhou, The Spring & Autumn Period, and the Warring States: 771 - 221 BC • The Early Empire: 221 BC - AD 589 • Qin: 221 - 206 BC • Earlier Han, the Wang Man Interregnum, and the Later Han • The Three Kingdoms and the Dynasties of the North and South • The Second Empire: 589 - 1644 • Sui: 589 - 618 • Tang: 618 - 907 • Northern and Southern Song: 960 - 1279 • Yuan (Mongol): 1279 - 1368 • Ming: 1368 - 1644 • The Birth of Modern China: 1644 - present • Qing (Manchu): 1644 - 1911 • Republican China: 1911 - 1949 • The People's Republic of China: 1949 - present

4. Mr. Weiss History of China A Brief History of the Civilization of China (1:47)

5. Mr. Weiss History of China     From at least 1766BC to the 20th century, China was ruled by dynasties. A dynasty is a ruling family that passes control from one generation to the next. One dynasty lasted more than 800 years, while another lasted only fifteen years. The Chinese people supported their rulers because of what they called the Mandate of Heaven. The ancient Chinese believed their ancestors in heaven had chosen their leaders. The people would rebel against a weak leader because they believed he had lost the Mandate of Heaven.

6. Mr. Weiss History of China Republican China (1911-1949) During World War I, the Chinese Government, such as it was, sided with the Allies. In return, they were promised that the German concessions in Shangdong province would be handed back over to the Chinese Government at the end of the war. They weren't, and to add insult to injury, the Treaty of Versailles handed them over to Japan. On May 4, 1919, about 3,000 students from various Beijing universities got together in Tiananmen Square and held a mass protest. The movement that was born at that rally (called, not unsurprisingly, the May Fourth Movement) was the first true nationalist movement in China and has consequently served as an inspiration for Chinese patriots of all shades, stripes, and ideologies since. The students of the "Beijing Spring" of 1989 intentionally drew parallels with the May Fourth Movement; it is all the more ironic and tragic that June Fourth will now live on in infamy as the day that the tanks rolled in Tiananmen Square

7. Mr. Weiss History of China In the early 1920s, Dr. Sun Yatsen, as the leader of the (up-to-then unsuccessful) Nationalist Party (KMT), accepted Soviet aid. With the Communist help, Sun Yatsen was able to forge a alliance with the fledgling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and started the task of re-unifying a China beset with warlords. Unfortunately, Sun died of cancer in 1925. The leadership of the KMT was then taken over by Chiang Kaishek.

8. Mr. Weiss History of China Chiang Kaishek and the Nationalists then ran China for many years. China constantly had differences and battles with Japan and the Communists. The Nationalists, in contrast to the Communists, were disorganized and corrupt, problems that would only intensify after World War Two. At the end of World War II, the war between the Nationalists and the Communists started up again. By early 1949, the Nationalists were hamstrung by intractable corruption and huge debts; they paid off their debts by printing more money, which only lead to hyperinflation.

9. Mr. Weiss History of China By that October, the Nationalists had fled to Taiwan and Mao Zedong had proclaimed the creation of the People's Republic of China The People's Republic of China (1949- ) When Communist Party Leader Mao Zedong took power in 1949 he was determined to transform China from a rural economy into an industrial giant. Farms were collectivized into large communes and resources shifted to heavy industry, which was nationalized. But, by Mao’s death in 1976 it was clear these reforms had failed, leaving China impoverished and isolated.

10. Mr. Weiss History of China The People’s Republic of China was a nation with virtually no political or economic freedom, however that began to change after the death of Mao, as China headed into the late 1970’s. The new leader, Deng Xiaoping began an ambitious program of economic reform aimed at raising rates of foreign investment and growth. He ended collective farming, initiating a “responsibility system” which freed farmers to choose what crops to grow and sell any surplus for profit. Deng encouraged foreign trade and investment through joint ventures. In the south, zones were created giving investors tax concessions in exchange for revenue and technical knowledge. Deng’s reforms led to a more market-based economy.

11. Mr. Weiss History of China Hong Kong, which had been ruled by the British starting in 1841, was turned over to China in 1997. Hong Kong had become the ultimate example of the success of Capitalism. The world wondered what the Communist Nation of China would do with Hong Kong. China promised that under its “one country, two systems” formula, China’s socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and than Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. As of today, China has kept that promise.

12. Mr. Weiss History of China Through the 70’s and 80’s, China’s economy had its ups and downs and it continued to experiment more and more with a market based economy (capitalism). In 1992 the government of China gave the economy a giant kick start that has led to the enormous growth China is still going through today. In 2001 China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) committing itself to further economic liberalization. While the Chinese people have been getting more and more economic freedom, there has been no changes in terms of political freedom.

13. Mr. Weiss China December 11, 2006 – New York Times Upfront Magazine

14. Mr. Weiss China December 11, 2006 Bill Gates on the left and J.P. Morgan on the right.

15. Mr. Weiss China